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Business students top of the class in Greggs Marketing Challenge

A team of business students from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has won the Greggs Marketing Challenge, developing a successful campaign concept for the well-known bakery brand.

The competition, which took place at Newcastle Business School, saw North East universities come together to tackle a real-world marketing challenge. º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s team was made up of Mark Harrison, Charlie Williams and Adam Dalton, who are all studying undergraduate courses in business and marketing at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ International Business School.

They faced teams from Sunderland, Northumbria and Newcastle Universities in the competition.

Greggs set the students a brief – to create a product and marketing campaign with a focus on healthier food options to form part of Greggs’ evening offering and create further opportunities for the business to grow.

The º£½ÇÖ±²¥ team came up with new products including a ‘Jack-in-the-box’ jacket potato and potato milk. These were accompanied by a thorough marketing campaign to promote the new products and drive brand awareness.

Charlie Williams, who is in the final year of his BA (Hons) Business Management course in º£½ÇÖ±²¥ International Business School, took part in the competition.

He said: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the experience that came with the Greggs Marketing Challenge. Every step along the way I felt I was learning something new that is readying me for the world of business. It was almost as if we were working within a real-world marketing environment.

‘It was a big task with a lot of hard work and effort for all involved. In the end it paid off and after all the hard work we put into it as a team it was good to win such a prestigious challenge against some stiff competition.’

The group from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ won the competition, with judges commenting on the team’s professional approach to working with business to deliver an effective campaign.

Femi Waters-Ajisafe, Principal Lecturer in Marketing and Recruitment, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of what the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ team produced in the Greggs Marketing Challenge.

‘The judges praised our students’ powerful ideas, outstanding attention to detail and seamless campaign execution, with particular commendation for the team’s professionalism in delivering an engaging presentation and concept.

‘The º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students showed their creativity, business acumen and marketing talents at the competition and it is clear that they will go on to have very exciting and successful careers within industry.’

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ International Business School offers courses which blend theory with practice to develop graduates who have the skills, experience and qualifications to enter the competitive world of business.

Warren Harrison, Dean of º£½ÇÖ±²¥ International Business School, said: ‘º£½ÇÖ±²¥ places experience at the heart of preparing students for careers within industry and this challenge provides an excellent opportunity for participants to gain valuable insight into working to a real-world marketing brief.

‘The students put everything they have been learning in the classroom into practice in this challenge and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments, which are testament to the incredible talents of the undergraduates who took part as well as the hard work and dedication shown by staff across the University.’